ROSS Greer has hit out at what he called “confusion” over the Scottish Government’s position on a moratorium for hyperscale data centres after yesterday’s Holyrood vote.
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, the Scottish Greens co-leader said MSPs and communities had been left unsure about what would happen to live applications due to be determined before new government guidance is published.
The Scottish Government committed yesterday to introducing mandatory Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for hyperscale data centres and also - during a debate in Holyrood later in the day – to publishing planning guidance for councils by the end of the year.
Ministers also said decisions on the 24 AI data centre applications currently at some stage of the planning process “should” not be made before the new guidance is published.
However, the Scottish Government didn’t announce a formal moratorium, with several live applications technically facing determination deadlines before Christmas.
During FMQs, Greer attempted to seek clarity over whether ministers would intervene if those applications were to be approved.
“There is still some confusion over what the Government’s position now is,” he told MSPs.
“Ministers will produce guidance for councils by Christmas, that’s welcome, that’s what the Greens called for, but ministers also said that no decisions will be taken before then.
“I struggle to reconcile that with the reality of the timeline here. The data centres proposed for Larbert, Greenock and Auchtertool could all be decided before then.”
Greer then asked whether ministers had therefore instructed Falkirk, Inverclyde and Fife councils to pause their determinations.
The First Minister, in response, said he “did not anticipate” planning authorities determining applications before the new guidance was issued later this year.
But Greer then said: “I struggle to reconcile what Ministers said yesterday, what they voted for and what the First Minister has just said today.
“I and the Greens and communities across the country who were celebrating last night because they thought there was a pause, a formal pause, are trying to accept the Government’s position in good faith.
“But MSPs across this Parliament left the Chamber last night confused because they couldn’t reconcile what Ministers said with what they voted for.”
